A Grammy Award-winning recording engineer has praised the talent of a Mooloolaba singer-songwriter, after working on a soon-to-be-released debut EP.
Former journalist Anthony Brand recently released the first single off the EP, the aptly titled and hard-hitting Moment to Arrive.
And his original music is already receiving accolades and gaining comparisons with a wide range of styles from Bruce Springsteen to Johnny Cash.
Brand (vocals/guitar) put together a formidable band for the project, including drummer Tony McCall (Wolfmother, Jamiroquai, Regurgitator, Phil Jamieson, Resin Dogs, Butterfingers) and Nashville’s own piano/keys legend Billy Livsey (Tina Turna, Gerry Rafferty, Kenny Rogers), with highly acclaimed session and live musician Jack Hudson on bass.
The songs were recorded and mixed by three-times Grammy Award-winning engineer John Hudson (Adele, Elton John, U2, Amy Winehouse, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Coldplay, Madonna, Radiohead, Tina Turner, Kasabian, BeeGees, Arctic Monkeys, Jack Johnson, Diana Ross, Bryan Adams).
Hudson believes Brand’s songs have the potential to sit alongside his catalogue of 167 Top 10 hits.
“I have worked with a lot of massive bands that are very creative but sometimes you can’t remember anything when you get to the end of the song,” Hudson said.
“I think what’s great about Anthony’s songs is, they are so memorable. You want to hear them again and again.
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“I was very lucky that through my career I worked on a lot of hit records. Just about everything I did was really good.
“Anthony’s songs are that – really good. What a songwriter.”
That’s huge kudos for Brand, who found his voice and cut his musical teeth in Sunshine Coast performances.
“If success comes, I will always claim the Sunshine Coast as home as it is in every part of me,” he told Sunshine Coast News.
“And while I reside in Brisbane now, the Sunshine Coast is always home.
“I still have ties to the Coast in that my parents and siblings still live there and I still visit a lot.
“The Sunshine Coast is so engrained in me. I lived there for 34 years and obviously did all my schooling there and uni.
“My first bands were formed there as well as me doing plenty of gigs back in the day, including the Caloundra Music Festival after winning a locals competition.
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“I moved to Brisbane and a big part of that is to chase my music dream. It’s been a great start so far.”
Brand is buoyed with confidence after initial reactions to the Moment to Arrive single, which is available on Spotify.
Music fans can also catch the single on his website and YouTube.
“Recording these songs was an amazing experience,” Brand said.
“The band played great and John Hudson worked his magic behind the desk.
“I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me and my music.”
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